Customer Reviews

Mario Lanza: At His Best!

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD without really knowing much about Mario Lanza. All I can say is, from the moment I heard his wonderfully rich tenor, I just knew I was listening to the greatest tenor I'd ever heard. The first 12 tracks (the Neapolitan songs) are simply fabulous. I was very moved by Voce 'E Notte, and thrilled by the gutsy singing in Canta Pe' Mme. And what a stunner the last song, Passione, is! The last note is to die for, and he puts such feeling into the song. I have Pavarotti's version of it, but it seems so tepid next to Lanza's passionate singing. Plus the fact that Pavarotti's voice is so thin compared to Lanza's.

I read the other reviews here, and was amazed to learn that Lanza was ill when he recorded these songs. He certainly doesn't sound it, though the remaining 8 tracks (The Vagabond King songs) make it very clear that he is in poor health. I didn't care for these tracks at all, but after the magnificence of the Neapolitan songs, this didn't bother me in the least.

I just can't understand why Mario Lanza is not regarded as one of the greats! His voice is rich, powerful, sensitive (when needed) and so much more satisfying than all the Domingos, Pavarottis, Alagnas, Curas, Bocellis, etc put together! On the strength of this CD, Mario Lanza was the supreme tenor.

When the Mario! album was recorded in December 1958, Lanza had less than 10 months to live. And yet for all the obvious signs of illness on his final recordings of the following year, the tenor sounds remarkably well here. His lower register is rich and baritonal, while the celebrated top notes are still very much in evidence. (The sustained High A at the end of Passione is stunning.) "Vocally extraordinary" was the verdict of the album's noted conductor from Rome's Academia di Santa Cecilia - Franco Ferrara - who added that Lanza "possessed great musicality" and a "Caruso-type voice that combined steel with warmth".

Arguably the tenor's greatest album, all but one of the 12 Neapolitan songs featured here present Lanza at his mature best. Listeners accustomed only to the tenor's earlier recordings of many of these songs will be surprised by the sensitivity and commitment that he brings to his singing here. Indeed, Lanza is so thoroughly immersed in the Neapolitan idiom that even Italian listeners have found it difficult to believe that these songs were recorded by an American.

Here are some brief notes on each of the tracks:


1. Funiculi' Funicula'. Skip this one! The one lapse on the album contains an unfortunate arrangement and off-key singing from Lanza.

2. Dicitencello Vuie. The favourite recording of Lanza's mother, this one has a lot going for it. It starts out a little sluggish, but by the second half Lanza is in great form.

3. Maria Mari'. Delightful. The smile in Lanza's honeyed voice adds much to the simple beauty of the song.

4. Voce 'e Notte. Haunting in the extreme. Lanza's own favourite recording of himself, this lament is to many aficionados the tenor's finest recording of a Neapolitan song. He perfectly expresses the anguish of a lovesick man alone in the night, singing with stunning depth to his voice and gorgeous use of mezza voce. Unforgettable.

5. Canta Pe' Me. The vitality in this recording will knock your socks off. Light years removed from Lanza's 1952 performance on the Don't Forget Me CD.

6. 'O Surdato 'Nnmmamurato. Some light relief in the form of this rousing soldier's song. Great stuff.

7. Come Facette Mammeta. A joy from start to finish, Lanza cannot resist chuckling during this doom-buster of a song.

8. Santa Lucia Luntana. Lanza at his most reflective and baritonal. He vocally "paints" the beauty of the sea and the moon in this song of a Neapolitan's love for his homeland.

9. Fenesta Che Lucive. The saddest song Lanza ever recorded, the tenor himself seems overcome with grief at the conclusion of this moving lament.

10. Tu Ca Nun Chiagne. Rousing and dramatic with the tenor in brilliant form; a true knock-out.

11. 'Na Sera 'e Maggio. Another haunting song of unrequited love. Beautifully phrased and masterfully sung. Note the shimmering sensuality with which Lanza sings "Voglio bene sulo a te" in the second half.

12. Passione. One of Lanza's greatest recordings. He makes full use of every vocal colour at his disposal, and the ending invariably leaves listeners dumbstruck.

The sound quality on the above selections varies a little from track to track. Ironically, Funiculi' Funicula' - the weakest selection - has the best sound. At times, the somewhat sandy digital transfer lacks the mellow warmth of the original album, and there is a hint of echo present that was not on the LP. Having said that, the startling dynamics on Voce 'e Notte, Canta Pe' Me, and Passione have never sounded better.

The CD is filled out with eight selections from The Vagabond King. Sadly, these betray a marked deterioration in Lanza's health. Recorded at a single session seven months after the Neapolitan songs, Lanza had suffered a heart attack in the interim, and was understandably below par. Still, there are some highlights: the swagger of the Drinking Song, the mature and reflective Nocturne, the thrilling high As in Love Me Tonight, and the Only a Rose reprise, which concludes the album. The sound quality is surprisingly poor, and both the chorus and soprano Judith Raskin were added to the recording after Lanza's death.

However, I suspect that few listeners will actually care about the lesser Vagabond King selections. The great Mario! album is the star attraction here, and it most assuredly will not disappoint.

Postscript (February 2006): This entire CD has now been released as a hybrid SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc). The sound is superb, and I much prefer the SACD over the present disc. For further information, please see my review elsewhere on this site.

I had this as a LP record many years ago, and was absolutely thrilled to find the CD. I had always loved Lanza's voice, but I now realize that he was without a doubt one of the best tenor voices of the century. His ability to sing so many different types of songs is astounding. His voice is strong, filled with emotion and in some of the songs you can hear that he is hugely enjoying himself. What an incredible pity that he died at such a young age and was never able to fulfill all that he could have been.

This is truly one of Lanza's finest albums ever and represents a magnificent achievement for a man who at the time of recording was undergoing a heavy workload, illness and financial pressure. The selections on Mario! (The first part of the album) are in my opinion, his finest interpretation of Neapolitan singing by any tenor. From the robust and magnificent "Dicitencello Vuie" to the rousing "Maria Mari" we hear Mario give each of these gems his own unique treatment. Listen to the wonderfully haunting "Voce e Notte" (which was rumoured to be Mario's favourite song) and take pleasure in the utterly faultless approach to the selection. The latter part of the disc is the 1959 recording of The Vagabond King and although there are some fine highlights in "Someday" and a fabulous "Nocturne" the overall results are a little shaky with Mario's health problems showing through. The Neapolitan selections though, are worth double the price of the album itself and this is truly one not to be missed.

Mario Lanza was a singer who possessed an absolutely glorious voice. soaring and beautiful, with a deep rich tone. He sings exclusively in his native Italian language on these recordings and the record is in two parts. the first 12 songs are more operatic in structure, containing moody, solemn passages in which Lanza's voice excels in the passion and romantic solitude that this kind of music is so well at expressing. the remaining eight tracks are a series called The Vagabond King and it's song structures are a little bit more of the old Hollywood variety, beginning with the cheery "Drinking Song" (which was a high rated hit in the u.s.). Mario is joined by soprano Judith Raskin on 4 of the songs and his singing is in English for these songs. this is a great introduction to the world of this fabulous singer.

the title says it all....lanza has never been better..this cd is a must for anyone who loves the tenor voice

Neapolitan music is very special and unique. It requires singing from the soul and heart and a voice that articulates the language and its many nuances

Mario Lanza was not Neapolitan but he mastered the dialect and the music and the lyrics in a way that few have been able to articulate. As always, Lanza gives a wonderful performance on this album which does not need or deserve the pieces from the Vagabond King.

The greatest voice of this century and the twentieth century comes out in this splendid work. Just having the Neapolitan songs sung by Mario is worth the cost. I recommend it highly for lovers of the best and brightest, like Lanza was.

If your gong to get one Mario Lanza CD or CD Set get the Mario Lanza Collection, But if you want to get one more, get this one, Mario Lanza At His Best. This is one CD (not a set like the collection) which contain many beautiful Italian folk songs and then competes with the songs from Lanza's Movie, The vagabond king. Lanza sings wonderful renditions of Funiculi Funicula, Dicitencello Vuie (just beautiful), Maria Mari (my Grandmothers favorite song), Voce e' Notte, Canta pe' Me, O Surdato Namurato, Comme Facette Mammeta?, Santa Lucia Luntana, Fenesta Che Lucive, Ta Ca Nun Chiagne, 'Na Sera 'e Maggio, and Passione (Which is just beautiful. Then the CD moves to the songs form the vagabond King; Drinking Song, Some day, Love Me Tonight, only A Rose, Tomorrow, Nocturne, Song of the vagabonds and Finale all well done. Judy Rasking sings with Mario on Some day, Only A Rose, Tomorrow, and Finale.

I was 12 years old when I saw the movie The Great Caruso.
Mario died when I was 17. I lost interest in Tenors until I saw Pavaroti on TV. It was after I attended a live preformance of Andrea Bocelli that I was overwhelmed with his voice. Since then, I purchased many CD's of Mario Lanza and have concluded that his powerful voice beats all the tenors of today.

I highly recommend this CD and all Mario Lanza's CD's

This was the last album Lanza recorded in which he was able to muster all his vocal splendor and create what remains perhaps the most passionately interpreted set of Neapolitan songs ever recorded by any tenor in history ( a close second being recordings by di Stefano, Corelli and Sergio Franchi).

Lanzas diction is uncannily Neapolitan, which is no mean feat considering that the Neapolitan dialect is all but impossile to duplicate by anyone not born and raised in the region. Even such greats as Corelli and del Monaco had problems with it and the much over-rated Pavarotti never even came close.
Lanza nailed it!

The song selection is great with the exception of Funicula...that song doesn't work no matter who sings it.
My personal favs are Dichitenchello Vuie, Voce la Notte, and Passione...Canta'p'me being a close second.
Lanzas gift for pouring his every emotion into his singing really comes forth on these songs. Moreso even than on any of his operatic selections which are peerless in their own right.
However; in my mind, Lanza always did his best work on the Neapolitan songs.

The songs from the soundtrack of the film "The Vagabond King" are about as lame as can be. They are right along the usual line of Hollywood junk which Lanza recorded too much of in his short career.
Thus the 4 star rating. I turn the CD off once the Neapolitan stuff is over with.

The only other major distraction here is not due to anything Mario could have controlled or done differently. It's in that that RCA decided to release this album in this then newly discovered "stereo surround" format, which was nothing more than overblown reverb effects. This worked well for a thin voiced Elvis, but it didn't fare to well with this type of material or Marios larger than life voice.

In the end, this is, and always will be a collection of the finest sung Neapolitan songs ever recorded.

Bravo Commendatore Lanza! Bravo!